


Tendrils of smoke lash the street

by JuliaBaggins



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: A Bit Of Backstory, Angst, Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, and how he met credence, as in how grindelwald took graves' role and got rid of the original, like kinda cause credence doesn't know how 'graves' is actually grindelwald
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-13 04:55:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9107527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliaBaggins/pseuds/JuliaBaggins
Summary: A story about how Grindelwald started posing as Graves and how he got Credence wrapped up in his plot; as a gift for the Fantastic Beasts Secret Santa.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hobbit4Lyfe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hobbit4Lyfe/gifts).



> Dear Hobbit4Lyfe, I really hope that you enjoy this! :)

Gellert Grindelwald stood in the middle of a busy street, curiously observing the buzzling life around him. _New York._

He smiled, felt the twitch of his lips and moved his head, looking at his own reflection in a jewelry shop’s window. Dark eyes blinked back at him, handsome features smirking. Looks hadn’t played a role in Grindelwald’s decision to impersonate one Percival Graves out of all of MACUSA’s high ranking members, it was just an opportunity that presented itself so he took it, but now he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed the attractiveness that his new face brought with it. He tried a different smile, one that was supposed to look… _trustworthy_ , and it worked. Graves’ face was that of an honest man, and oh, Grindelwald was sure that this would be useful.

 

While Grindelwald walked down the street, impersonating the confident walk he had observed the real Graves had, he thought back of meeting the man. It had been in Europe, when he was just wondering if he should leave for some time as the aurors constantly at his feet started to get annoying. And suddenly, there he was – Percival Graves, MACUSA's Director of Magical Security and head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, sent as a support for the hunt for Grindelwald. It was an opportunity too good to let it pass, and so, Grindelwald took it. 

One foggy evening, he confronted Graves, aiming for a duel rather than just killing him out of the shadows. Of course, even Graves was no match for him, but at least it was entertaining how hard he fought ( _bravely,_ some fools might have called it); how he refused to admit that he stood no chance. After a few minutes, Grindelwald had still grown bored of the man’s desperate attempts to disarm him, so he took his wand. And his life, of course – for a second, while he was still watching him out of the shadows, he had played with the idea of keeping him around while impersonating him, how it might be pleasurable, but no, that would be too much effort. 

So Grindelwald didn’t took too long - just a few curses to torture the man, him refusing to scream for so long that it got even more enjoyable when he finally did; a few minutes to steal his memories. These should be really useful when posing as Graves, as would be the hair he took. While his plan played out at rapid speed in Grindelwald’s mind, he settled on a combination of Polyjuice Potion and disguising spells, some of those only a few wizards could manage, and with the right looks and the right behavior, no one should be able to notice a difference. During his rummaging through Graves’ thoughts and memories he had seen how very few people were close to the man, none of his relationships even a real friendship, and oh, this life of a loner was another aspect playing out in Grindelwald’s favor. Posing along with others as _friends_ would have been tiring, not to think of the possibility of something like a _wife._

Getting rid of Graves’ body wasn’t much of an effort, a few spells and then throwing the little that was left into a nearby river, and soon, Grindelwald had been walking the little city’s streets, enjoying the way Graves’ expensive coat and scarf flew around him. The man surely had had style, as well as his looks and quite a talent as a wizard, and in another time, Grindelwald might have tried to gain him as a follower. But now, with half of the wizarding world at his heels, the man’s reputation and influence would surely be more useful than he himself. 

A few weeks later, after it had become obvious that the task force hadn’t been able to catch Grindelwald once more, not even getting as close as during that one annoying event when aurors had suddenly surrounded the house he was staying in, Grindelwald had returned to the United States, wearing blue scarves and an aura of power.

Working at MACUSA turned out to be quite pleasurable, Grindelwald secretly enjoying it how the people around him were so focused on catching a man who stood in the _very same room_ as them, and at the same time, a series of events caught his interest. There was destruction throughout the city, violence, panicked muggles… It was enjoyable, but at the same time, Grindelwald wanted to get the source of this immense power at his side. And he’d get what he wants.

 

Grindelwald soon was sure that it was an Obscurial, the idea raising unwanted memories he was quick to lock away, and so, he started wondering how he should find the child in question. And once again, fate seemed to play out in Grindelwald’s favor – an auror named Goldstein, one that Graves had had a high opinion of, attacked a muggle woman, a lot of trouble followed, her losing her job (looking at Grindelwald as if she hoped him to intervene, and with a smirk, he wondered if Graves would have done so, would have helped her), and in the middle of all of this, there was a boy. Son to the woman that Goldstein had attacked, the one Grindelwald had recently seen in a vision right next to the child he was looking for, and this boy was just the key that he needed to find the child.

So Grindelwald went to a few of the meetings the mother hosted, looking forward to the day that people like her would be eliminated, and at the same time, he watched the boy. _Credence._ Noticed his hunched posture, the flinches, the downcast eyes. It was perfect. And while he watched him, always standing a bit away from the others, always alone, he got another idea, one he soon tested. 

Credence was handing out leaflets in the streets, shivering in the cold in his too thin clothing, and Grindelwald approached him. Taking one of the flyers, offering a few gentle words. A hand to the boy’s shoulder, and when he felt how he seemed to lean into the touch, Grindelwald found his suspicions proven true. This could be fun. 

And oh, it was. Grindelwald enjoyed how easy it was to win the boy’s trust, him being so desperate for some human gentleness that he nearly threw himself at Grindelwald. The way the boy’s eyes would light up every time he spotted the face of one Percival Graves, how he seemingly treasured every touch, every word that wasn’t cruel. Healing Credence’s wounds was another perfect way to bind him to ‘Graves’ as his savior, his hero, even more, and though Grindelwald didn’t exactly enjoyed what this Barebone woman did, as it was still magical blood she spilled no matter Credence being a squib, it was too useful to stop. The wonder in Credence’s eyes replacing the ever-present pain for a moment when Grindelwald healed broken skin again and again; the desire whenever he offered a glimpse of information about the magical world. And oh, it wasn’t just that. 

There was another desire in Credence’s eyes, one that got visible whenever Grindelwald let his hand linger at the boy’s cheek, and Grindelwald found himself enjoying that too. Credence’s touchstarvedness created an intoxicating combination with his inexperience, his undeniable crush on Graves and his desire to please his hero, and yes, Grindelwald liked it. It had been a long time since someone had looked at him like this, and though Credence Barebone meant nothing to him, Grindelwald enjoyed the distraction from his work at MACUSA, the adoration, the knowledge that he could do anything to this boy with him willingly accepting it.

 

After their meetings, Credence would lay in his bed, eyes fixed on the low ceiling, bleeding hands pressed to his chest. He didn’t mind the pain; not as he knew that soon, Mister Graves would heal them, would put all of Credence’s broken pieces back together with his magic and his touches. Credence thought of dark eyes and when he finally closed his own, he got wrapped in darkness, a darkness as powerful and mysterious and intoxicating as Graves’ eyes…

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Poets of the Fall's "Moonlight Kissed"
> 
> Nice comments are very appreciated! ❤


End file.
